There is no doubt that information technology has revolutionized the way we treat patients in the United States.

Electronic health records are widespread, and people can schedule a doctor’s appointment on a smartphone app. But with this renaissance in technology has come growing pains, as our regulatory framework has struggled to keep pace with private sector advances.

Mobile applications are revolutionizing our lives, and they have the very real potential to revolutionize our health care system for the better. Every day the mobile application and mobile health industries grow, but unfortunately the federal structure regulating mobile apps hasn’t been able to keep up. Worse, regulators seem to believe the old regulatory framework, created when most used typewriters and carbon paper, is well-suited to ensure mobile apps are safe and effective.

The Medicare program, and the 49 million elderly and disabled Americans who rely on it, are facing an uphill battle when it comes to quality and cost.

Some 10,000 baby boomers sign up for Medicare each day. This first wave will push total program enrollment from 50.7 million in 2012 to 81 million in 2030. Considering that adults age 65 and over account for the highest level of health care spending among all age cohorts, an increasingly larger share of taxpayer dollars will flow to Medicare services.